After months of research and countless calls to state and local authorities, Eddie Castillo finally got approval to wear a pasta strainer on his head in his driver's license photo.

It sounds like a joke, but it's actually a political statement from a group of atheists who "worship" the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The group members, who call themselves "pastafarians," were inspired by a satirical letter written in 2005 to protest the Kansas School Board teaching intelligent design.

Castillo, a Texas Tech student, is the first person in the country allowed to wear this kind of religious headgear in a legal identification photo.